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<title>A Toast to Those Who Can't Celebrate by oneFishtwoFish</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28970706">A Toast to Those Who Can't Celebrate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneFishtwoFish/pseuds/oneFishtwoFish'>oneFishtwoFish</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Divergence, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, brief mention of alcohol, like Dean's just thinking about all of the people they've lost, married murder husbands, very mild angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:55:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>538</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28970706</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneFishtwoFish/pseuds/oneFishtwoFish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has an unofficial birthday tradition that he always carries out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel &amp; Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Toast to Those Who Can't Celebrate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I was thinking about Dean's birthday and this happened.<br/>15x19? 15x20? I don't know them... this takes place a few years after 15x18- Cas is human, they're married, happy, and getting on with life.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dean stands in the empty kitchen, trying not to shiver. The clock on the stove flicks to 4:03. The house is silent. He lifts the bottle of whiskey, closing his eyes. His lips move as he mentally recites the names. His eyes shine when he opens them and he extends his arm, tipping the bottle. The liquid is amber in the faint light as it splashes and swirls, a sharp contrast to the white of the sink and the black of the drain as it slips out of sight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The floorboards creak as he stoppers the bottle and puts it back in the cupboard. He turns his head as Cas comes into the room. His hair’s a mess, even more so than usual, and he’s buried in the throw blanket from their bed, half of it trailing on the ground. He studies Dean, squinting in the way that he does.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dean looks down, turning to wash the remnants of alcohol away. As he wipes his hands on the towel, he can feel Cas come up beside him. A blanketed arm comes up to wrap around his back and a warm hand reaches out to wipe at his cheeks. He sniffs and meets those blue, blue eyes, the skin around them creased from all the smiling he’s been doing. Cas presses a kiss to his clothed shoulder and offers the blanket. Dean accepts with a small smile, hiking the blanket off the floor and up around his shoulders. He twitches a corner of it at his husband.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is why we can’t have nice things—you go dragging them around.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You don’t seem to be too worse for the wear and I’ve dragged you around enough.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dean blushes faintly at the odd compliment. He’s gotten used to them by now, but he doubts the novelty will ever fade. He hopes it never does. Cas tugs on him gently, gesturing towards the door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We have a few hours until the bakery opens. Come back to bed, birthday boy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I thought you’d never ask.” He smirks lopsidedly and Cas swats at him, prompting a quiet laugh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They shuffle down the hall, bumping into each other on the stairs. Losing the blanket makes them shiver and climb back into bed quickly. Dean curls on his side, allowing Cas to wrap around him. He hisses in a breath as a cold nose burrows into his neck, but he reaches back to thread their fingers together before he can pull away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A soft kiss is pressed to the back of his neck. “I love you, Dean.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I love you too.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cas listens as Dean’s breathing evens out, eventually coming in slow puffs. He lets his eyes slip shut, focusing on the warm body in his arms. He’s come to expect this birthday routine: Dean waking and slipping out of bed in the middle of the night, overcome with thoughts of everyone not there to celebrate. Cas lets him have his moment, but always goes and reminds him that he still has him—still has a family. He falls asleep with happy memories from the past few years in the forefront of his mind, his face buried in Dean's neck, and their limbs tangled.</p>
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